Court Of Shadows and Lies

50. Crown Prince and The Temple

"Hey, wake up. Who are you?" A voice demanded, young but sharp, cutting through the fog of my mind.

I slowly cracked my eyes open, my vision blurry at first. The face hovering above me was indistinct, a shadow in the dim light. I groaned, my body aching as I shifted, feeling as though I had been hit by a dozen trains.

"Stand up. This isn’t a place to sleep," the voice snapped again, more insistent.

The face slowly sharpened into focus, and I saw the grey stone of a ceiling above me, a familiar coldness, and then a pair of striking green eyes staring down at me. The face was framed by thick black hair, messy yet somehow fitting for the arrogance that seemed to emanate from him.

I rubbed my forehead, groaning as I sat up, my body protesting every movement. "Where are we?" I asked, voice hoarse from… whatever the hell had just happened.

He rolled his eyes and shrugged his arms as if the answer were the most obvious thing in the world. "Can’t you see? We’re in a temple."

"A temple?" I echoed, confusion flooding me as I glanced around, trying to make sense of my surroundings. "Why? Who are you?"

He looked at me, eyes narrowing in disbelief. "Who the hell are you? Don’t you know who I am? I’m the Crown Prince, Kairan Alistair Ashbourne."

My eyes widened at the declaration. The Crown Prince. I sprang to my feet immediately, the remnants of the world I’d known still swirling in my head. Before I could even think, I instinctively bowed. "What are you doing here, little prince?" I asked, my tone slipping out before I could catch it.

He scoffed, puffing out his chest with a haughty look on his face. "First, I’m not little. Second, I’m the Crown Prince," he corrected, his voice brimming with pride.

I froze, staring at him as a memory hit me like a freight train—Serene, the spirit, the talisman, the ritual. Aunt... the curse.

"Fuck!" I cursed, slamming my fist into the floor. "He left me here. That bastard spirit."

The Crown Prince blinked at me, his expression a mixture of confusion and amusement. "Fuck?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow, as if the word itself was foreign to him.

I I crossed my arms, glaring at the Crown Prince with all the irritation that had been simmering in me since I woke up in this strange temple. "Where’s the High Lunarch?" I demanded, my voice cold but sharp.

He looked at me like I’d asked him to paint the ceiling with his own blood. "Why would I tell a lowly woman like you?" His tone was dismissive, arrogant, and it struck a chord deep inside me.

How dare he? My hand twitched, and I didn’t even think before I yanked his ear with a sharp tug.

He yelped, the sound loud in the quiet of the temple. "Ow! What the hell do you think you’re doing?! How dare you pull my ear!" His voice was full of outrage, but I didn’t care. The boy’s arrogance needed to be humbled.

I stared him down, unmoved by his protests. "I don’t care who you are," I hissed, my patience running thin. "Whether you’re a Crown Prince or a commoner child, you will tell me where the High Lunarch is."

He winced, glaring at me through clenched teeth. "You think you can just pull my ear like that? You know who I am? I’m the Crown Prince. You’re not even allowed to touch me without my permission. How dare you, woman!"

I leaned in closer, not the slightest bit intimidated. "I don’t care what you are," I spat, each word like a whip. "You’re going to tell me where the High Lunarch is, or so help me, I will lock you in one of these doors in the darkness."